Bra strap with stabilizing material

ABSTRACT

A stabilizing shoulder strap for an upper torso garment is provided, having enhanced stability in the shoulder region. The stabilizing shoulder strap has a first end, a second end, and an intermediate shoulder portion in between the first end and the second end. The intermediate shoulder portion may have a greater width than the first end and the second end of the stabilizing shoulder strap. A panel is attached to opposing longitudinal edges of the intermediate portion of the stabilizing shoulder strap, and may be more rigid than the intermediate shoulder portion to which it is attached, thereby providing improved stability to the shoulder strap.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to shoulder straps for upper torsogarments.

BACKGROUND

A properly designed shoulder strap for an upper-torso garment achievesseveral goals to obtain widespread consumer acceptance. Load-bearingcapability, strap stability, and end-user comfort are someconsiderations taken into account in developing a shoulder strap. Theseattributes are balanced against the appearance of the shoulder strap,manufacturability, cost, and varying consumer preferences. Whileload-bearing is an important consideration in the design of a shoulderstrap for upper torso garments, such as brassieres, stabilizing a strapis a well known problem. “Stabilizing” with respect to shoulder strapsmeans that the shoulder straps should distribute load efficiently, whileminimizing twisting and curling, and thus improving comfort. Comfort mayalso be improved by reducing strap slippage. Thus, twisting, curling,slippage, and load-bearing are aspects of the stability of a shoulderstrap. Finding a balance between the stability-comfort dichotomy can bedifficult in light of varying and changing consumer preferences in uppertorso garments.

Attempts have been made to improve and stabilize shoulder straps forupper torso garments. Some have attempted to fold the shoulder straplongitudinally to create a stiffening rib, thereby improving stability.Others have incorporated foam materials into the confined areas of ashoulder strap to improve the comfort of the wearer. Others extend thefoam insertion concept by using silicon gels as cushioning devices. Theaddition of plastic stays also has been attempted. Each mechanismemployed to date, however, has disadvantages.

Various features and aspects of the invention will become apparent uponreview of the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, which are brieflydescribed as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a stabilizing shoulder strap of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a stabilizing shoulder strap.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a section of a stabilizing shoulder strap.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a stabilizing shoulder strap takenalong line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an environmental view showing a chest panel of a brassiereemploying a stabilizing shoulder strap.

FIG. 6 is an environmental view showing a back panel of a brassiereemploying a stabilizing shoulder strap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are describedbelow and illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodimentsdescribed are only for purposes of illustrating the present inventionand should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention,which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodimentsof the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of thedescribed embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art, and allsuch alternate embodiments, modifications and improvements are withinthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is directed to a stabilizing shoulder strap for anupper torso garment. An “upper torso garment” refers to a garment suchas a brassiere, sports brassiere, one-piece swimsuit, two-pieceswimsuit, tank-top, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a stabilizing shoulder strap 10 comprisesthree portions: a first end portion 12, an intermediate shoulder portion14, and a second end portion 16. The first end portion 12 may bedescribed as a chest portion of a stabilizing shoulder strap of an uppertorso garment. A “chest portion” refers to the segment of a stabilizingshoulder strap that contacts the chest of a wearer of an upper torsogarment. The second end portion 16 may be described as a back portion ofa stabilizing shoulder strap of an upper torso garment. A “back portion”refers to the segment of a stabilizing shoulder strap that contacts theback of a wearer of an upper torso garment. Depending on the garmenttype, the first end portion 12 may be either a chest portion or a backportion of a stabilizing shoulder strap 10. Alternatively, the secondend portion 16 may be either a chest portion or a back portion of astabilizing shoulder strap. The stabilizing shoulder strap 10 may befurther characterized by a shoulder strap material 18 with hems 20extending down longitudinal peripheral edges of the stabilizing shoulderstrap. The first end portion 12, the intermediate shoulder portion 14,and the second end portion 16 may all be formed of the selected shoulderstrap material 18. The first end portion 12 and the second end portion16 alternatively may be formed from different materials. For example,the second end portion 16, or a back portion, may be an adjustableelastic strap, or a woven fabric. Thus, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a stabilizingshoulder strap 10 with a first end portion 12, an intermediate shoulderportion 14, and a second end portion 16, each portion formed of the samematerial 18, with hems 20 along each portion.

As shown in FIG. 2, a panel 28 is attached to the intermediate shoulderportion 14 between opposing longitudinal edges of the stabilizingshoulder strap 10. The term “attached” refers to joining or affixing thepanel 28 to the shoulder strap material 18 by sewing, stitching,serging, ultrasonic bonding, application of heat activated adhesives,application of a chemical binder, or other mechanism known in the art.The hems 20 described herein may thus serve two functions in the presentinvention. First, hems 20 secure the panel 28 to the intermediateshoulder portion 14. Second, hems 20 provide smooth edges to thestabilizing shoulder strap 10. The smooth edges created by hems 20contribute to the comfort of the upper torso garment. The hem 20 mayitself be the material 18 forming the intermediate portion 14 foldedaround the longitudinal edges of the panel 28. The hem 20 may be sewn,stitched, serged, ultrasonically bonded, adhesively bonded, orchemically bonded, attaching panel 28 to the shoulder strap material 18.

Panel 28 provides the additional stability to improve the load-bearingcapacity, to minimize twisting and/or curling, and to improve thecomfort of stabilizing shoulder strap 10. In one embodiment, panel 28 isa knitted fabric. The knitted fabric forming panel 28 is a densely ortightly knitted construction. The dense construction provides a level ofrigidity that is greater than the rigidity of the intermediate shoulderportion 14, and which improves the load-bearing capacity of thestabilizing shoulder strap 10, and more evenly distributes the load overthe entire intermediate portion 14. The rigidity also minimizes curlingor twisting of stabilizing shoulder strap 10 when worn. The knittedfabric forming panel 28, however, remains sufficiently flexible enoughto provide an adequate range of motion to a wearer, thus minimizingdiscomfort. In alternate embodiments, the panel 28 can be formed fromwoven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, laminates, or other suitable materialsconstructed in a manner to meet the objectives described herein.

Panel hems 30 may define the ends of panel 28 attached to the shoulderstrap material 18 and may be stitched, sewn, serged or ultrasonicallysealed. The panel hems 30 help eliminate unraveling of yarns or fibersand provide smooth end edges to panel 28. The panels hems 30 may alsoadd additional rigidity to panel 28, thus further stabilizing theshoulder strap 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, panel 28 isattached to shoulder strap material 18 on the underside of the shoulderstrap 10 so that the panel 28 will be in contact with the skin of thewearer.

Referring to FIG. 4, panel 28 may be attached to shoulder strap material18 only along the hems 20. So attached, an open region may be createdbetween the shoulder strap material 18 and the panel 28. Alternatively,the panel 28 may be attached or secured to the shoulder strap materialover some of all of the inner surface area of the panel 28 and/orintermediate portion 14.

To provide enhanced stability, the width of the intermediate shoulderportion 14 may be greater than the width of the first end portion 12and/or the second end portion 16 of the stabilizing shoulder strap 10. Asmooth curvilinear shape for the intermediate shoulder portion 14 may beused. A “curvilinear shape” refers to a shape formed, bounded, orcharacterized by curved lines.

Different material constructions for intermediate shoulder portion 14and panel 28 also may be used to improve the stability of the shoulderstrap 10, or to minimize curling or twisting when worn. This furtherimproves comfort to the wearer of the upper torso garment. Panel 28, forexample, may be thicker, more dense, or more rigid than shoulder strapmaterial 18, as described above. In one embodiment, the panel 28 mayfurther comprise a slip-resistant surface 36. Referring to FIG. 4, theslip-resistant surface 36 of panel 28 is in contact with a wearer'sskin. A “slip-resistant surface” refers to a surface that inhibits thetendency of the panel 28 to move or migrate across the skin of thewearer. Such a slip-resistant surface 36 may result from the knittedstructure or the knitted density of the panel 28.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the chest panel 40 and back panel 42 ofan exemplary upper torso garment, such as a brassiere, are shown,respectively. A “chest panel” refers to a portion of an upper torsogarment that covers the chest area of a wearer. A “back panel” refers toa portion of the upper torso garment that covers a portion of the backof the wearer. The chest panel 40 may be comprised of breast receivingcups 44. The amount of coverage of the chest will depend on the specifictype of upper torso garment. For example, a chest panel on a one-pieceswimsuit would cover the chest area and the abdomen of the wearer. Apair of stabilizing shoulder straps 10 are connected to the top of eachbreast receiving cup 44 at the first end portion 12 of the stabilizingshoulder strap 10. The back panel 42 may be connected to the second endportion 16 of the stabilizing shoulder strap 10. The amount of coverageof the back will depend on the type of upper torso garment employed.

The invention has been described herein in terms of several embodimentsand constructions that are considered by the inventor to represent thebest mode of carrying out the invention. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various modifications, variations, changes andadditions can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. These and othermodifications are possible and within the scope of the invention as setforth in the claims.

1. A stabilizing shoulder strap for an upper torso garment comprising: afirst end portion having a width; a second end portion having a width;an intermediate shoulder portion between the first end portion and thesecond end portion, having first and second surfaces, a length, opposinglongitudinal edges, a thickness, and a rigidity; a panel attached to oneof the first and second surfaces and extending along some portion of thelength of the intermediate shoulder portion and between the opposinglongitudinal edges of the intermediate shoulder portion; and the panelhaving a rigidity greater than the rigidity of said intermediateshoulder portion.
 2. The stabilizing shoulder strap of claim 1, whereinthe panel comprises a slip-resistant surface.
 3. The stabilizingshoulder strap of claim 1, wherein the intermediate shoulder portion hasa width greater than the width of at least one of the first end and thesecond end.
 4. The stabilizing shoulder strap of claim 1, wherein theintermediate shoulder portion has a curvilinear shape.
 5. Thestabilizing shoulder strap of claim 1, wherein the panel is a knittedjersey fabric having a thickness greater than the thickness of theintermediate shoulder portion.
 6. The stabilizing shoulder strap ofclaim 1, wherein the panel is a knitted jersey fabric having a knitteddensity greater than the density of the intermediate shoulder portion.7. An upper torso garment comprising; a chest panel; a back panel; apair of shoulder straps, each shoulder strap comprising: a first endportion having a width; a second end portion having a width; anintermediate shoulder portion between the first end portion and thesecond end portion, having first and second surfaces, a length, opposinglongitudinal edges, a thickness, and a rigidity; a stabilizing panelattached to one of the first and second surfaces and extending alongsome portion of the length of the intermediate shoulder portion andbetween the opposing longitudinal edges of the intermediate shoulderportion; and the panel having a rigidity greater than the rigidity ofthe intermediate shoulder portion.
 8. The upper torso garment of claim7, wherein the garment is selected from the group consisting of abrassiere, a swimsuit, and a tank top.
 9. The upper torso garment ofclaim 8, wherein the chest panel is a brassiere and comprises breastreceiving cups.
 10. The upper torso garment of claim 7, wherein thestabilizing panel comprises a slip-resistant outer surface.
 11. Theupper torso garment of claim 7, wherein said stabilizing shoulder strapcomprises an intermediate shoulder portion having a width greater thansaid first end and said second end.
 12. The upper torso garment of claim7, wherein the stabilizing panel is a knitted jersey fabric having athickness greater than the thickness of the intermediate shoulderportion.
 13. The upper torso garment of claim 7, wherein said panel is aknitted jersey fabric having a density greater than the density of theintermediate shoulder portion.